The condition of the transportation infrastructure in the United States is an issue of national importance. State departments of transportation and transit agencies face tough choices as they make decisions about how and when to keep their assets safely open to the public. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program and National Cooperative Highway Research Program's TCRP Legal Research Digest 57/NCHRP Legal Research Digest 84: Fix It, Sign It or Close It: State of Good Repair in an Era of Budget Constraints addresses the legal ramifications to transportation agencies that have to decide whether to repair, improve, or rebuild assets that are in poor repair.

This synthesis will be of interest to highway agency administrative and executive officers, risk managers, legal officials, as well as to highway design, traffic, and safety engineers, enforcement agency personnel, claims managers, and others concerned with managing tort liability programs in state transportation agencies. It describes the state of the practice with respect to the manner in which these agencies manage highway tort liability programs. Management of claims associated with highways, streets, and pedestrian facilities is the focus of this synthesis, which describes program elements, costs, staffing, risk avoidance, and management requirements. This report of the Transportation Research Board describes the design and implementation of procedures and techniques to manage tort liability programs. Much of the material in this synthesis is also applicable to managing risks associated with modes other than highways within the state transportation agency. There is also applicability to local highway agencies, toll authorities, and public transit agencies.

Delving deep into the emerging international and federal statutory and legislative developments surrounding Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technologies, Atilla Kasap assesses whether current motor vehicle regulations, liability law and the liability insurance system are fit for purpose today and in the future.